Cell retention design and process

Abstract

A system and method for reducing the relative movement between adjacent fuel cells within a fuel cell stack includes an improved strategy for distributing an acceleration load over a fuel cell stack while maintaining stack performance after exposure to high acceleration loads. The system comprises a fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of fuel cells enclosed by a housing. A curable material occupies at least a portion of a lateral space located between the edges of each fuel cell in the stack and an interior wall of the housing. Upon occurrence of high acceleration loads within the housing, the curable material transmits the acceleration load from the housing to more evenly distribute the load to the edges of the fuel cells. A plurality of dams may be secured between the housing and the fuel cell stack forming channels for receiving the curable material.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.